Though the mountain lion (Puma concolor) has been considered
extirpated in Michigan since the
early 1900s, sightings of the big cats have persisted in both the Upper and
Lower Peninsulas.
Reports of mountain lions increased during the 1990s, and the Michigan Department
of Natural
Resources (DNR) does acknowledge the existence of this species within the
state. However, State
officials continue to insist that the majority of these sightings involve
former captive animals or
misidentification of other species, rather than a wild population of mountain
lions. The growing
number of mountain lion sightings in recent years  by biologists, hunters,
and other citizens 
suggests that there may well be a small breeding population of the species
in Michigan.